Chevrolet wins 10th consecutive NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship

No surprise here: Chevrolet has won the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship for the 10th consecutive year, clinching when Jimmie Johnson won Sunday afternoon's TUMS 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports star gave Chevy its clinching points when he beat Toyota driver Kyle Busch in the 500-lap race at the half-mile track.

NASCAR awards manufacturer points to each brand's highest-finishing entry on a 9-6-4-3 scale. Chevrolet scored nine points at Martinsville, Busch scored six for Toyota, fourth-place Aric Almirola gave Ford four points and sixth-place Brad Keselowski gave Dodge three points. With only three races remaining, Chevy leads Toyota by an insurmountable 25 points, Ford by 58 and Dodge by 79. Even if Toyota wins the last three races (for 27 points) and Chevrolet finished last among manufacturers (for nine points), Chevrolet still would win the title by seven points.

“Chevrolet is truly honored to win the championship for the 10th consecutive year and the 36th time overall,” said Chevrolet Racing vice president Jim Campbell. “This is the result of a relentless effort by Chevrolet team owners, drivers, crew chiefs, crews and technical partners. Many laps remain to be run in the balance of 2012. Chevrolet and the teams remain committed to a strong finish.”

So far, six Chevy drivers have shared 12 victories. Johnson has won four, Tony Stewart three, Kasey Kahne two and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman one each. Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard and Jeff Burton also have contributed manufacturer points to Chevrolet's championship-clinching total of 222.

Ford drivers have won six races this year, three from Matt Kenseth, two from Greg Biffle and one from Marcos Ambrose. Carl Edwards and Almirola have also scored manufacturer points for Ford, which has 164 points. Ford last won the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship in 1999, 2000 and 2002.

Keselowski has given Dodge its five wins, but AJ Allmendinger (before he was fired by Penske Racing) also contributed to Dodge's 143 manufacturer points. The brand's last Manufacturers' Championship was in 1975.

Four Toyota drivers have combined for 10 wins, and two others have earned manufacturer points. Denny Hamlin has five wins, Clint Bowyer three and Joey Logano and Kyle Busch one each. Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin also have scored points for Toyota, which has 197.

“Winning Chevrolet's 36th Manufacturers' Championship has been a dedicated effort of focus and cooperation by our teams, technical partners and Chevrolet's engineers,” added Pat Suhy, group manager of Chevrolet Racing NASCAR. “Everyone associated with Team Chevy has worked tirelessly throughout the season to meet the challenges and give our drivers cars that are competitive and reliable.”

NASCAR's final Sprint Cup races this year are Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Nov. 11 at Phoenix International Raceway and Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.